Holding Onto You
by Gryffindor Brat
Summary: Fred's girlfriend can't get over his death. Shortly after returning for an eighth year at Hogwarts, an accident leaves Shelley with amnesia. She forgets Fred has died and mistakes him for his twin George. CONSTRUCTIVE REVIEWS WELCOME. Abuse will not be tolerated.
1. Prologue

Falling...

Falling...

Falling...

Shelley felt herself rapidly falling through the air. She reached out desperately grasping at nothing. After what felt like forever, she finally plummeted to the ground. When she landed, for a few moments she laid there in a heap, stunned. It wasn't long, however, before she felt a sharp pain slice through her head. This was the result of having her head hit some rocks. She also felt like she had broken every bone in her body. The pain became so great that she didn't know how long that she'd be able to stay conscious. She fought hard to stay awake until someone could find her.

Just before she succumbed completely to the darkness, Shelley heard a voice screaming her name.

"Shelley, NOOOOOO!" she heard a familiar voice scream along with the sound of loud footsteps heading in her direction.

That's funny, it sounds like Fred, but there's no way it's him, because Fred's dead. And with this final thought, Shelley lost consciousness.


	2. Chapter 1 - A Dream for the Future

A few months earlier...

"I want to stay and fight. This is my school too, and I have just as much a right to defend Hogwarts as you do! I don't know why Mum is being so damn stubborn about this. I'm of age, so she she shouldn't be able to tell me what to do anymore!" Shelley Quinn complained. She was ranting to her boyfriend, Fred Weasley, about how her mum wanted her to leave Hogwarts and return home to avoid getting caught up in the Wizarding war that was brewing.

"You're of age in the Wizarding world, not the Muggle world," Fred reminded her.

"Ugh! Don't remind me!" Shelley groaned. "It's times l wish I wasn't a stupid Muggleborn."

"Hey! watch what you say about my favorite girl," Fred warned her as he walked up behind her and put his arms around her.

"Favorite girl?" I thought I was your only girl, Fred Weasley!" She turned to face him with her arms folded and a pout on her face.

"You're one of my favorite girls," Fred informed her with a gleam in his eye. He held up his hand and started to tick names off with his fingers. "There's Stella, Starla..."

"Those are my cousins, you goof!" Shelley interrupted laughing.

"Oh, I can't forget about Skyler," Fred continued.

"That's my twin sister, and besides she's not interested in you anyway," Shelley told him, her pout was replaced with a smirk.

"And why not?" Fred asked.

"Because she's interested in George," Shelley answered. She put her hands up to her mouth and her eyes widened when she realized that she had let her sister's secret slip.

"You Quinn women have seemed to come down with a case of the Weasley Fever," Fred informed her with a serious expression on his face. "I'm afraid there's only one cure for your sister."

"And that is..." Shelley wanted to know.

"You agree to marry me," Fred answered.

" What exactly does my going with you have to do with Skyler liking George," Shelley wanted to know.

"Absolutely everything," Fred replied. "If Skyler sees how happy you are married to me then she might want that same kind of happiness for herself. She might eventually get up enough nerve to ask George out.

"That's the most ridiculous reason I've ever heard of for marrying somebody!" Shelley exclaimed. "You're gonna have to do better than that, Fred Weasley, if you want me to marry you!"

"Ok. How about this, looking forward to spending the rest of my life with you will help get me through this war, Fred replied. All joking had gone out of his voice. He spoke with a seriousness that was very uncharacteristic of him.

"If my mum won't let me stay and fight in a war, what makes you think she'll allow me to get married at seventeen?" Shelley inquired.

"I was thinking that since you're of age here, maybe after the war, you could permanently move to the Wizard world," Fred replied, hopefully.

"That's a nice dream," Shelley sighed. "And you know what Dumbledore says about dreams."

"It doesn't do to dwell on dreams and forget to live," they recited in unison.

" I know, but it does not always have to be a dream. Just think about it! You, me, and our own set of Weasley twins. What could be better?" Fred asked.

"I could think of a few things. Shelley replied.

"Such as..." Fred wanted to know.

"Such as, my mum allowing me to stay and fight!" Shelley cried, bringing their conversation back to it's original topic.

"You're mum only wants what's best for you, and so do I," Fred told her as he put his arms around her.

"So now you're on her side?" Shelley accused.

"I'm always on your side, Fred assured her. "As much as I would love having you there to fight beside me, it would kill me if you would end up hurt, or worse, dead."

"But I want to do my part!" Shelley insisted.

"And you can," Fred told her, smiling.

"How?" Shelley asked.

Fred grabbed her and flung her over his shoulder like she weighed nothing before saying, " You can marry me."

"Put me down, this instant!" Shelley screamed and pounded his back with her fists.

"Not until you say you'll marry me," Fred said. He was laughing at her pitiful attempts at trying to escape him.

"Fine. "I'll marry you," Shelley agreed. "Now, put me down!"

"Not until you promise," Fred said.

"Fine. I, Michele Quinn, do solemnly swear that I will one day marry Fredrick Weasley. There. Satisfied?

"Very, Fred replied. He set her down, turned her around to face him, and sealed their promise with a kiss.

After the kiss ended, Shelley said, "I'll marry you on one condition."

"Name it," Fred responded, eagerly.

"After the battle, you return with me to Hogwarts to complete our education."

"Fine," Fred begrudgingly agreed. He and George had left partway through Seventh year. They hadn't been able to up with the dictatorship of Dolores Umbridge. He wasn't eager to return, but he'd do anything to get Shelley to marry him.

"Promise?" Shelley asked.

"Cross my heart and hope to die." Fred answered.

"Don't even say stuff like that," Shelley told him.

"It's just a Muggle saying. I didn't mean anything by it."

"I know, but I still don't want you to say it," Shelley said as she pulled him toward her for another kiss.

"Ok. I won't," Fred agreed. "How about this, I promise not to get myself killed."

"That's better," Shelley said as she pulled away from his embrace. "But we both know you can't make a promise like that."

"Then, I'll try my best not get killed," Fred amended.

"You better not get killed, or I'll make you live to regret it," she threatened. She said this with a smile, but Fred noticed that it didn't quite reach her eyes.

He pulled her close for another hug and whispered in her ear, "Don't worry, Shell. I promise everything will be all right."

"There you go making promises again. "What did I just tell you?" Shelley reminded him.

"I fully intend on keeping this promise," Fred assured her. "And, if by some chance, something does happen to me, you could always go out with George. Fred had meant this as a joke, but Shelley didn't take it as one.

"He's no you!" Shelley wailed.

"Well, he's kinda like me," Fred replied. "I'm slightly better looking, though."

"Your humility astounds me," Shelley said, sarcastically. "All joking aside, I could never love George like I love you. "And besides that, I couldn't go out with your brother, because Skyler likes him, remember?"

"I remember," Fred answered. "And you don't have anything to worry about. I plan on staying alive and working to make our dreams a reality."

"Maybe, you, me Skyler, and George can double - date sometimes," Shelley suggested. She was starting to catch the dream bug that seemed to have infected Fred. She could easily picture a life with Fred Weasley. A life that included a set of twins with their dad's ginger hair and her emerald - green eyes. She liked this mental picture very much.

"It's settled, then. After we kick He - Who - Must - Not - Be - Named in the arse, we work on getting our siblings together, get married, and live happily - ever - after," Fred declared.

To Shelley, it sounded too good to be true. Little did she know, it would turn out to be just that.


	3. Chapter 2 - I Can't Believe You're Gone

Present Day

Shelley stared down at the piece of parchment in her hand. Tears gathered in her eyes as she scanned the letter for the third time in a row. Her heart refused to believe what she had just read. Fred had been killed during the Battle of Hogwarts.

Shelley stared down at the piece of parchment in her hand. Tears gathered in her eyes as she scanned the letter for the third time in a row. Her heart refused to believe what she had just read. Fred had been killed during the Battle of Hogwarts.

"It can't be true. It just can't be true," she repeated over and over to herself. She reread the letter for a fourth time, as if the terrible news that it contained would've magically changed in the few minutes since she last read it.

But the letter said the same thing as before:

Dear Shelley,

It pains me to have to tell tell you this, but Fred was killed during the Battle of Hogwarts. I know how much you meant to each other. I know this probably won't help with the pain you must be feeling, but I wanted you to know that he fought bravely and died a hero. Well, in this mum's biased eyes anyway. He actually died in the middle of a wisecrack. He died with a smile on his face. I thought it would bring you some comfort to know that. Even though Fred's gone, I want you to know that you are always welcome at the Burrow. We hope you and Skyler will come visit for a couple of weeks before heading back to Hogwarts. I think I speak for everyone when I say that we'd all love to see you! You've become like a member of our family.

Love,

Molly Weasley

The tears that Shelley had been fighting to control started to fall. She angrily swiped the tears from her face, crumpled the parchment into a ball, and threw it across the room. Then, she cast Silencio so that no one could hear her, threw herself across her bed, buried her face in her pillows, and screamed.

"I can't believe you're gone. This isn't real. This can't be happening," she sobbed. After what felt like forever, She sat up and looked into the mirror above her dresser. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her hair was damp and stuck to her cheeks. She decided to freshen up before heading downstairs to help with supper. She went into the bathroom where she washed her face and rearranged her black hair into a pony tail to hold back the damp strands from her face.

Pull it together, girl. Unless you want to be interrogated by mum, you need to get a grip! Shelley tried her best to hide her emotions before leaving the bathroom. She so didn't need the questions her mum was sure to ask. After one last look in the mirror, Shelley left the room and went downstairs to the kitchen. As she made her way downstairs, she hoped she would be able to fool everyone. At least for a little while. Maybe, if she managed to make her family believe she was fine, she'd start to believe it too.

.


	4. Chapter 3 - Skyler Starts To Suspect

Shelley walked into the kitchen to see her mum stirring a pot of soup on the stove. She was stirring with one hand and holding baby Samantha with the other. She walked over and held out her arms to take Sam from her mother. Sam squealed happily and reached out for Shelley.

"Thanks, Sweetheart," her mother said as she handed Sam off to Shelley. Andi Quinn tucked a strand of wayward hair behind her ear and turned her attention, completely, to finishing supper preparations for her growing family.

Shelley stepped carefully around her little brother Darrin, who was playing with his Quidditch sports figures on the floor beside their mother. She walked over to stand across from Skyler, who was at the counter chopping tomatoes for the salad.

Skyler looked up from what she was doing and said, "I noticed one of the letters Dora was holding in her beak was addressed to you. Anything interesting from Lover Boy?" She asked with a mischievous glint in her eye.

Fighting the urge to cry, Shelley talked around the lump in her throat, "No. But I did get a nice note from Mrs. Weasley. She says we're welcome to come for a visit to the Burrow before term starts."

"But no word from Fred, though?" Skyler asked puzzled. "Is everything alright between you two? You haven't received any post from him all summer, and you are usually in constant contact with each other."

"Everything's fine between us," Shelley assured her sister. This wasn't actually a lie; everything was fine between her and Fred. As fine as things can be when one of us is dead, Shelley thought dryly. She did however feel a twinge of guilt prick her conscience for not telling her twin the truth. She always told Skyler everything. The sisters kept no secrets from each other, but she wasn't ready to face reality, just yet.

Skyler stared at her for a few seconds longer before turning her attention back to chopping tomatoes. Shelley breathed an inward sigh of relief, feeling like she'd just dodged a bullet.

"I'm glad everything's OK," Skyler said. "I was getting worried. You and Fred are so perfect for each other, and if you two broke up, then we couldn't go on double dates together."

"Going out on double dates with whom?" Shelley asked uneasily.

"Double dates with George and me, Silly!" Skyler exclaimed. "Who'd you think I was talking about?"

"Draco Malfoy," Shelley suggested weakly.

Skyler screwed her face up. "As if! I wouldn't go out with that git even if you paid me a thousand galleons! She declared.

"You used to think he was cute," Shelley reminded her.

"That was before he found out we were Half - bloods and was a major prick to us about it. Anyway, I think Stella has a thing for him. Though Merlin only knows what she sees in that prat." Skyler rolled her eyes. Whatever made you think I'd ever date someone like Draco. You know snakes and lions never mix."

"I just wanted to see if I could get a rise out of you," Shelley grinned. "And it looks like I was successful."

"You know, I sometimes wonder if you should've been a snake instead," Skyler teased.

"Harry Potter could've been a Slytherin, but he was sorted into Gryffindor too," Shelley reminded her sister with a smile.

"OK, you win!" Skyler laughed. After she calmed back down, she said seriously, "I was actually thinking about telling George how I feel about him."

"That's great!" Shelley forced some cheer into her voice. "It's about time you made a move. What were you waiting for?"

"Him," Skyler replied. I wanted him to be the one to ask me out. That way I'd know that he actually liked me. I didn't want him to feel obligated to go out with me just because his brother is dating my sister."

"But George does like you," Shelley assured her. "Fred and I were talking before term ended about how..." Shelley quickly looked down at Sam and blinked the tears from her eyes.

"Are you sure you're Ok?" Skyler asked skeptically; she had noticed her sister's lapse into silence. "If Fred did anything to hurt you, I swear to Merlin that I'll bash his brains in!" Skyler threatened.

"Who sounds like she belongs in Slytherin now?" Shelley asked.

"You take that back or I'll..."

"You'll what," Shelley wanted to know.

"I'll tell Draco Malfoy that you like him," Skyler told her.

Shelley gasped. "You wouldn't dare!"

"I would," Skyler grinned wickedly.

"There's no need to do that because Fred and I are just fine," Shelley repeated.

"Well, if you're sure. But if he does hurt you, you will tell me, right? I want to know so that I can give him a piece of my mind. Nobody gets to hurt you, except for me."

Too late for that, Sis, he's already hurt me. And there's nothing you can do to fix it. There's nothing you can do to fix me, Shelley thought to herself. Out loud, she said, "Don't worry, Sky. I doubt anything like that is going to happen, but if it does, I'll be sure to tell you straightaway."

"Good," Skyler said. "Because you know that you can always talk to me about anything."

Not about this I can't, the voice in Shelley's head went off again.

Just then, their mum called them to come into the dining room to help her set the table. Skyler picked up the salad bowl and went over to the cabinet to get the serving bowls. Shelley went to put Sam on the floor beside Darrin and told him to watch his sister for a few minutes. Then she went to grab the pot of soup off the stove and followed her sister into the dining room.

Shelley breathed a sigh of relief that Skyler had let the matter of her relationship with Fred drop. She was grateful to not have to talk about her painful secret for a little while longer.


End file.
